Spanish royal family cuts holiday short because of economic crisis

Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will cut short their annual summer holiday on the island of Majorca because of the country's economic crisis, sources at the Zarzuela royal palace said Monday, dpa reported.

The royal couple usually spend the whole of August at their Marivent palace in Palma de Majorca, where they are often accompanied by their children.

This year the king would not arrive in Palma until later in August, the sources said, without giving exact dates for the royal couple's stay on the island.

Juan Carlos would also use his yacht sparingly, the sources said.

The royal family had already slashed its holiday budget several years ago, but now wanted to save more because of the economic crisis, the sources said.

They did not say how much money the palace was saving.

Spain rose out of recession in the first quarter, but it still has a budget deficit of 11.2 per cent and an unemployment of about 20 per cent.

Asked whether the king might meet Michelle Obama during his holidays, the sources said there was no confirmation for reports that the US first lady and one of her daughters were planning to take a vacation on Spain's southern coast.